Summer School -- All Answers Correct

A few months ago, I saw this on Vicki's blog and I loved it so I thought I'd join in.

It's too late to join the original party but thanks for a great idea. (Feel free to jump in!)

1. Walk or Bike Ride? Rick is the cyclist. I'm the walker! And this is what I see when I walk!

2. Favorite Picnic Food?   Wine, Rick's homemade bread, cheese, fruit, maybe some summer sausage or hard salami and wine! Or a wonderful tartine, if in France!

3. Pool or Lake?  When there is no lake (meaning I'm not at the cottage) I'll do laps in the pool -- but I'd rather be at my favorite Otsego Lake, swimming wild!

4. Favorite Flavor of ice cream? Peppermint Stick. Any time of year! Or lemon sorbet.

5. Ice Cream Cone or in a Dish? Sugar cone. Unless I'm being virtuous. Or even better, in a soda!

6. Flip Flops or Slides? Neither. I have awful feet that need orthotics so I can only do either of these for a very short time. It's barefoot inside and sandals or walking shoes outside.

7. Jean Shorts or Jean Capris? Either. Both.

8. Favorite summer fruit? Michigan sweet cherries. It's a short season.

Very short!

9. Corn on the Cob or Cut Off the Cob? On the cob. With butter, salt and lime.

10. Favorite summertime song? "Summertime" (and the living is easy!) -- Gershwin.

11. Favorite summertime activity? Art camp at the lake with friend Kate!

12. Favorite Berry? Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry or Blackberry? Only the really sweet strawberries, fresh picked from the market in June and early July. Otherwise, blueberries any time of year.

13. Bikini’s, tankini’s or one pieces? Tankini. It's more flexible.

14. Dresses or Skirts? I can't remember the last time I wore either one. Possibly here? (OK, really, the last time was 2013 at my retirement party.)

15. One Word to describe Summer? Short!

A to Z with Me!

Two things inspired this post. First, Beyond Eden Rock recently did an A-Z post I found rather fun. Then I came across this vintage insurance company pamphlet in my art stash. When two things or more coincide, I pay attention! Almost all the photos here are from that pamphlet!

A is for ART JOURNAL. I haven't played as much in my art journal as I expected but I have done a few pages recently. Here's one of the image transfers, this one being from Kevin and Molly's wedding photos. It's not quite right yet (Kevin is a little muddy and that blob on his collar is not acceptable!) but I'm working on it!

B is for BLUEBERRY PIE. If you can still get inexpensive blueberries (this recipe calls for five cups), try this Cooking Light recipe for the fastest blueberry pie you will ever make it. Just remember to refrigerate before cutting or else you'll have blueberry glop. Equally delicious but not as pretty.

C is for COMPUTER -- I've had some trouble with my computer lately and thanks to Kim the IT Goddess, I thought I was back in business -- but up at the lake, more problems, so soon it'll be off to Dr. Kim again. (She also says a new one is in my future because IT goddesses know these things!)

D is for DECLUTTERING. Well, I'm not doing a good job of that but I am cleaning the cupboards (I'm embarrassed at the expired food I discarded) and found more dishes to take to Goodwill. That, plus the basement work I've been doing all counts!

E is for ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON. PBS is repeating the most recent seasons of "Sherlock" this summer and it is fun to review them. There's so much in each of these, I feel like seeing them twice or more is almost necessary. Certainly no multitasking during these not-so-elementary shows!

F is for FOWLER -- Christopher Fowler, to be precise. I am captivated by his Bryant and May mystery series and just finished the fifth of his mystery novels. I wish they'd do a mini-series. I'd cast Ian McKellen as the eccentric Bryant. As for May? My latest idea is David Robb, who plays Dr. Clarkson on "Downton Abbey," but I'm open to suggestions. Anyone else a fan?

G is for GARDEN. Summer is winding down and it seems like every few days I remove another pot of flowers that are past their peak. Soon it will be time to call in the Garden Warrior for a big clean-up.

H is for HOME REPAIR. My cottage toilet is periodically sounding like a foghorn. Dr. Google tells me it is a ballcock washer problem in the tank and has videos on how to repair this, which Rick says I can do, no problem. (He was home, I was at the lake.) I'm not so sure because I can't figure out where to turn off the water, but we'll see... otherwise, I may live with the foghorn till he arrives next weekend! (The end of the story is it's erratic enough that we decided to wait till we turned off the water for the season and do it then!)

I is for ITCHY. And that leads me to mosquitoes.  It's September. There shouldn't be anymore mosquitoes but apparently the ones in my back yard didn't get the memo.

J is for JACQUELINE WINSPEAR and I'm very distressed that the current Maisie Dobbs novel (the eleventh, I think) won't be in paperback until next February. I look forward to it as my summer read. BUT, bless her heart, Rick's cousin who visited us at the lake just sent me her hardcover copy (A donation to Jeanie's library, she said!). So, I'm into the latest adventure of my favorite mystery heroine! And it is very, very good!

K is for KONDO, as in Marie KONDO and her book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up." Now, I know I have a problem of too much stuff and I'm trying to weed it out, get things to Goodwill or passed on to others. But her kamikaze, take-no-prisoners method is too over the top for me. (I also think she's crackers and should probably be on medication if she isn't already -- but that said, I admire her making a career and writing a best seller based on cleaning out your stuff.) I'll write more on this later, but let me say, I have cleaned out my sock cupboard since reading this -- the closet floor is next!

Some of these are a little intense! (Although this year the flies have been annoying -- dangerous? Not so sure!

L is for LIZZIE! My sweet girl has been having a lovely summer, watching birds, playing with her toys (and losing them) and most of all, stealing my cozy chair as soon as I get up. Little hooligan.

M is for "MIDNIGHT IN PARIS" which I have enjoyed over and over on cable recently. The first 15 minutes alone send me into a glorious mental photo album of my time there and the sweet, perfect message of the movie reminds me that the right time to be in is now. (And if you are listening to the news lately, sometimes that's a tough thing to grasp.)

N is for NEIGHBORS. I've enjoyed lovely morning chats with my uber-gardener neighbor Rosie this year (and more to come, I know). Sitting on her patio is like sitting in a secret garden in a far away, beautiful place. I can't even see my house through the phlox, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers and hanging baskets. My across-the-street neighbors are moving and this is sad; they've been there 16 years and would stay if the house was larger. And my wonderful next door neighbors are always a treat to see -- and so are their two dogs, one of which is the dog version of Lizzie, black and white, tippy tail and loves to chase. I'm very lucky!

O is for OTSEGO LAKE -- the time at the lake is ticking down more rapidly than I like and soon it will be time to close the cottage for the winter. So I'm clinging onto every moment there I can find!

P is for PHYSICAL THERAPY. For the past two months and more to come I've been going through physical therapy for my arthritic shoulder and starting the lower back and hip. I love the therapists, they do great work. I'm just hoping the insurance covers it all.

Q is for QUIET. It was quiet at the lake the week leading into Labor Day and a little busier on the weekend. I don't have cable or Internet at hand, so I need to really make an effort to go online. (Which is why I was very late replying to comments that came in for the last post!) And yes, the TV works, but the three channels it gets come in sketchy at best, so it's generally off (except for "Masterpiece" on PBS!)

R is for READING -- and I've been doing a lot of it this summer. My goal for this year was 52 books. I'm already at 50. And I've only been disappointed once!

S is for SWIMMING. They'll be closing the pool where I swim this coming Monday. So when I can and when the weather is a "go," I'm going swimming! And here at the lake I've been swimming, too, tracking my distance by my neighbor's buoys. He estimates that the complete loop is about three quarters of a mile, give or take!


T is for TAB. My beverage of choice and that's all there is to it!

U is for UNDERSTANDING. Specifically, trying to understand other peoples' point of view and put politics, religion and prejudice down for a minute, listen to all pros and cons of something and then make an informed, rational, thoughtful and non-aggressive (meaning don't push it on everyone else) opinion. Can you tell that election season is coming to the U.S. -- and it's getting nasty.

V is for VEGGIES. You can't miss the amazing fall veggies that are coming on the scene at this time of year. The sweet corn is wrapping up and soon squash and the big tomato deluge. OK, tomatoes are really a fruit but I think crossover is completely all right!

W is for WALK IN THE WOODS. I just learned last night that this new film with Robert Redford and Emma Thompson features four songs by Lord Huron. And it's not just that the group does very good music, but Lord Huron himself, aka Ben Schneider, is also the son of my very good friends Sharon and John! I was already excited to see this movie about walking the Appalachian Trail (which Rick's niece just completed -- yay, Olivia!). Now I'm even more so!

X is for eXCHANGE RATE. (Sorry, I was reaching.) But really, if you have a chance to get into Canada these days, you might think about it. I was shocked at being able to save about 25 percent on my purchases. It's a good reason to go back soon. (So is seeing Suzanne and going to Stratford!)

Y is for YOUTH -- as in Testament of YOUTH. I've been waiting for this film to come for months, ever since I heard it was being made. It's slow to get to our small city (but somehow we'll have twelve screens showing the latest redneck romper-stomper). It's coming this month and I am excited!

Z is for ZINGERMANN'S! For my birthday, Rick gave me a class at Zingermann's baking school in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, the class I wanted isn't available until January but then you'll be hearing about crumb cakes, raspberry ricotta cakes and a yeasty tea cake ring!

So, that's me in an alphabet! Anyone else want to play along?

If I Was...

Relyn recently posted this fun fill-in-the-blank meme! I hadn't seen this one -- feel free to share your answers on your blog, too! (By the way, these are my answers at this moment in time -- you neverknow what they'll be tomorrow!)

If I Was...

a color, teal

a verb, content

a day, Sunday

a TV show, Masterpiece (this was hard, because I equally love "The Next Food Network Star"

a taste, sweet and tart (like lemon bars!)

an emotion, joyful

a month, September

a flower, a tulip

a holiday, Christmas

a movie, Julie and Julia (this week)

an article of clothing, a fleecy shirt

a book, A Gift from the Sea

a car, a Toyota wagon (I'd like to think it was a faulty accelerator that totaled that car, but I fear the faulty accelerator was me.)

a piece of furniture, my antique kitchen chest

a scent, citrus

an instrument, harp

a store, Trader Joe's

a shoe, tennies

a fruit, blueberries

a song, Summertime

a tree, an autumn red maple

a planet, Jupiter

a tool, a paintbrush

What about you?

Great Minds!

Well, great minds like Debbie and Joyce must think alike, because I recently the same wonderful award from all of them! It’s the Kreativ Blogger award!

Thank you so much! Debbie hails from Australia and her blog includes her beautiful photography, photos of her sweet pug and often thought provoking commentary. Joyce is from British Columbia, CA, and has marvelous poetry, an oft-illuminating look at her world and with a URL that includes the words possumkitty, it's no surprise a lovely feline is pictured!

To have this award is to pass it on – the instructions are as follows:

1. Thank the person giving the award (or in this case, the persons!)
2. Copy the award graphic to your blog (check the sidebar at the right!)
3. Place a link to their blog(s) – Debbie’s and Joyce’s are most certainly worth a visit!
4. Name seven things people don’t know about you (bel0w).
5. Nominate seven bloggers you admire.
6. Place a link to these bloggers.
7. Leave a comment on their blog notifying them of the award.

That “seven things” part is pretty tough, given that I generally spill whatever is in my mind on The Gypsy pretty regularly. But here goes.

1. I often wear hand warmers in my office at work and at home.

2. I used to be a bookkeeper for the health department (and if you know me, you know that was a professional stretch.) I also used to dispense pills at a pharmacy -- and while I'm used to taking my share, I can't believe they let me do that. Rules and regs were a lot different in the 70s!

3. I used to stand with my friends in the yard of my parents' home at Christmas and we would make our own mechanical-dummy Christmas pageant, moving with painstaking slowness and mechanically for what seemed like hours in the end in the cold as people would drive by during their Christmas light rounds.

4. My earliest memory is of a fire in our house at Christmas; I was about three (this was our Christmas card that year).


5. I used to be a pretty darned good singer till my sinuses messed me up!

6. Rick and I met because I was evicted because of my illegal cat (Stimpy).


7. When I was a nine or ten-year-old kid and we all talked about what actress we would be if we could, everyone wanted to be Sandra Dee. I wanted to be Judy Holliday.

Naming seven inspirational bloggers is tough, because I think most of you I've passed awards onto in the past. So, while the rules say fill out the seven questions, if you've already done this, please accept the award and offer it up to "anyone." Meanwhile, I'll nominate:

Nathalie of An Artists Legacy -- Her art is beautiful and her Etsy store is terrific!

Ruth of syn-chro-ni-city -- Take eloquent use of language and combine it with thought provoking words and astounding photos. You'll love it!

Janet of Just Me and My Art. Janet used to have The Lavender Loft (and I need to change her blog name on my blogroll!) Recently, she's been going whole hog on her art and her growth is astounding, her inspiration amazing.

Bobbi of My Muse and Me writes some of the most thought provoking poetry I've read in blogs. And she's prolific at it, too, which is an inspiration in itself.

Relyn of Come Sit by My Fire may be one of your old friends; she came to me this past year and I revel in her lovely posts.

Patty of Magpie's Nest always has new art. Always. I don't know how she manages to produce so many beautiful pieces, but she does and I am in awe.

Sonja of Secrets of a Stamp Stash Collector is another dedicated artists who works often and whose blog is a joy.

Well, now I feel bad I didn't single out some of you others. Really, if I didn't find inspiration in your blogs, I wouldn't visit! You are all Kreativ (and Creative!) bloggers!

And again, thanks for your concern on the past post! I'm much improved, still getting energy back but feeling very nice indeed!

The Tulip Award -- and a new book!

First, I just wanted to let you know that there is a new book post at Chopsticks and String -- "Murder in Montmartre," by Cara Black -- part of a very good series set in France!

Quite some time ago, Annie from Imagine (formerly InMyDreamz) presented me with the Tulip Award for fun blogs to visit! At long last, I am finally getting around to passing it on!
Thanks, Annie! Your blog is fun, too!

Here's the meme that goes with it! And several fun blogs I enjoy visiting who perhaps will add this award to their stash (and do the meme, too, if they like!)

1. YOUR NICKNAME – My cousins call me Deet. I had it before the insecticide did.

2. YOU ARE – a “cup half full” person, pretty optimistic, trying to see the plus when I can.

3. YOUR MOST SPECIAL PERSON – Rick and the Kids, and the Gypsy, because we all know our pets are people.

4. YOUR FAVORITE SONG – Rodgers and Hart’s “I Could Write a Book.” Today. Who knows what it'll be tomorrow.

5. YOUR FAVORITE FOOD/DISH - Sushi

6. THINGS THAT MAKE YOU STRESS – Arguing/conflict and deadlines (and yes, I work in a deadline-driven business)

7. YOUR FAVOURITE COLOR – Bright apple/lime/chartreusey green (or tealy turquoise)

8. THINGS THAT YOU MUST HAVE IN YOUR BAG – lip balm/chapstick, my camera and enough cash to play with!

9. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED – The week of August 24, when I was so sick with my chronic bronchitis I thought I'd never have a day when I didn't cough uncontrollably again.

10. SIX RANDOMLY SELECTED FRIENDS – Theoretically, these folks will do the meme, but I hate to ask anyone to do these -- so many go around. So, here are six blogs I've recently discovered, but because I'm a bad blog maintainer, haven't added to my blogroll yet. Please stop by and visit:

A2EatWrite -- great food articles from Jen!
Life Through a Lens -- Beautiful things from Australia and Ols.

A Day in the Life of... -- From Joyce in British Columbia
The Magpie's Nest -- Way more creativity than you can imagine from Patty!

Is There a Shadow -- Beautiful art by Julie

MaeFoodBlog -- Wonderful food postings by Mae!

Anno's Meme

Anno posted this MeMe (which, like some others, I always thought was "meme-rhymes with hem" rather than Me-Me! I second Rosemary's "Duh!"

This was a fun one and a little different:

Four childhood books I’ve read.
Trixie Belden Mysteries (the whole series, but I'll count as one!)
Back to School with Betsy (Carolyn Heywood)
Little Women (Alcott)
Misty of Chincoteague (Marguerite Henry)

Four “So-Called Classic” books read and never forgotten.

Sense and Sensibility (Austen)
Pride and Prejudice (Austen)
Jane Eyre (Bronte)
Tender is the Night (Fitzgerald)

Four personal modern “Classic Novels”
Gone with the Wind -- Margaret Mitchell
Memoirs of a Geisha -- Arthur Golden (some may dispute it's a classic; I loved it)
Mists of Avalon -- Marion Bradley
To Kill a Mockingbird -- Harper Lee

Four authors I've read again and again:

Jane Austen
Laurie Colwin
Anne Perry
Jacqueline Winspear

Four authors &/or books I'll never read again...ever:
Mrs. Dalloway (Woolf)
(I can't think of any others, though I'm not aching to read "Beowulf" again...)

Four books on my “To-be-read-list”:

The Ride of Our Lives (Mike Leonard)

Kitchen Table Wisdom (Rachel Naomi Remen)

The Vein of Gold (Julia Cameron)

John Adams (David McCullough)

Four books (originally two fiction and two non-fiction books) I'd take to a desert island -- but I think these are all non-fiction:

A Gift from the Sea (Lindbergh)
Home Cooking (Laurie Colwin)
Plan B (Anne Lamott)
Crazy Aunt Purl's Divorced, Drunk and Covered in Cat Hair (Laurie Perry)
Entertaining Is Fun (Dorothy Draper)
(OK, I know -- that was five, and actually I should add "Harpo Speaks" by Harpo Marx and any huge mystery by Elizabeth George. Then I'll have knitting, entertaining, recipes, self-improvement, faith and writing -- and a good yarn -- and I don't mean the fiber kind!)

Four book recommendations I have followed (and loved):

Two for the Road (Jane and Michael Stern)

Friday Night Knitting Club (Kate Jacobs)

Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)
Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)

The last lines of one of my favorite books (or at least one of my favorite books that was ready at hand):

I don't have a favorite -- I have lots of favorites. "Eat, Pray, Love" is at hand. And the line:

"Let's cross over."

Countdown to Thanksgiving -- And a Meme

The days are flying by. I must get out the turkey china and shop!

But oh, look at this -- taken today after we delivered over 1,000 pounds of food to the Food Bank from our station collection (and this is only after the first three weeks; we go till December 15).

Yes, beautiful berries and snow. Looks beautiful also, doesn't it -- don't let it fool you!

Today I am grateful that I have the resources to be able to have a lovely Thanksgiving dinner (and dinner everyday) and some special treasures from my mom to make the holiday more festive, while remembering her.

But first, a meme. I saw this on Qugrainne's blog. No tagging here, but if you decide to do it too, do leave me a comment so I can visit!

Seven Things I Did Before...

Go to England
Do lots of acting
Did lots of singing
Adopt Stray Cats
Participate in road rallies
Protest Vietnam
Volunteer at a Grief Center

Seven Things I Do Now

Work for a public TV station
Have a wonderful relationship
Knit
Do art/collage
Own a house
Cook Like a Crazy Lady
Go Crazy at Christmas

Seven Things I Want to Do

Go to Paris
Retire while I'm young enough to enjoy it
Get healthy
Lose more weight
Paint my living room
Write a family cookbook with stories
Meet some of the bloggers I've met online

Seven Things that Attract Me in Others

Sense of humor
Generosity of spirit and self
Optimism
Passion
Creativity
Sense of joy
Good listener

Seven Favorite Foods

Sushi
Shrimp
Fennel
Peppermint Stick Ice Cream
Italian anything
Christmas cookies
Bread -- especially home baked or artisanal

Seven Things I Say Most Often

Actually
Gyppy, Mummy's Home
Yo!
What's Up?
Sure -- when do you need it?
OK, let's think about this.
Yeah, I can do that.

All About "R"

Today's Autumn Image is another from my RED (R is for Red) tree that I discovered while attending a meeting Thursday!

Janet at the Lavender Loft put up an interesting challenge.

When given a random letter, can you put up six things (or 10) related to you and to that letter. Things you love.

The letter she picked for me was R. That's a toughie...

Radio -- namely public radio! I love it all -- "Morning Edition," "All Things Considered," "Prairie Home Companion," "Splendid Table," and the music! (Here with PHC's Garrison Keillor)

Rock and Roll -- not the total head banging rock, but classic rock. As in, "I Like that Old Time Rock and Roll" (a Bob Seeger favorite!)

Rosemary -- one of my favorite herbs to grow, to smell and to dry. (And I'm also fond of my friend Rosemary, too!)

Relatives -- I love my family! They're fun, funny, creative, crazy, loyal, smart, divinely human and compassionate and caring to the max.

Reading -- I don't do it enough -- I've only read 14 books this year, and that's down from last year. But a couple have been long and meaty! (The Diana Chronicles were very good!)

Raffia -- I love it for wrapping things, using it in art, and using it for home decoration. And I love the natural as well as the colorful!

Reconciliation -- It's a wonderful word. And when it happens, it's beautiful.

Riccola -- My favorite cough and throat drop. Specifically, sugar-free lemon mint. If they weren't so expensive, I would have given them out for Halloween.

Redbirds -- OK, it's a stretch -- you all know I mean cardinals! But they're redbirds around here!

Rick -- Because I saved the best for last!

If you want a random letter -- post here and I'll pass one along!

A Meme: Six Random Things

Today's Autumn Image is from the City Market in downtown Lansing! Gotta love pumpkins!

I have been tagged with a meme by Catty Cat of Music I Like in the Background and am supposed to tell you six random things about me…

If I hadn’t been evicted from my apartment for my illegal cat (the late, great Stimpy), I would have never met Rick (whose duplex I looked at as a potential new spot!)

In my later years, I’ve discovered three new foods I never realized I liked (or didn’t used to) – sweet potatoes (raw and sautéed like hash browns); fennel (raw or roasted) and eggplant!

I am an only child. But I used to have a collie -- I called him "Brother" (not his name, but in my mind, that's what he was.
I didn’t realize MSU (where I work) got a new football coach over a year ago until this fall.

In my fantasy world, I can tap dance like Ruby Keeler.


My other fantasy is to be the Next Food Network Star. (Obviously, if I really wanted to move this fantasy along, I’d make a video, but I know I don’t have what it takes! Still, it’s a fun fantasy!)
The rules are as follows – link to the person who tagged you; post the rules on your blog; write six random things about yourself; tag six people at the end of your post; let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a post on their blog; let the tagger know your entry is up.

My six tags are:
Bonnie at Mama K’s Blog
Iris at Herzblatt
Jane at Jane on Life
Beth D. at From the HeART
Rosemary at Living as Rosa
Dawn at My Thoughts By Dawn